


Walk on the Wild Side

by DooksForDays



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: All massive and can shift whenever, Angst and Humor, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Like the Twilight wolves, M/M, Other, Reader is a werewolf/shapeshifter kinda thing, Slow Burn, Time Fuckery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-16 19:58:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16501769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DooksForDays/pseuds/DooksForDays
Summary: You've been living in these woods for well over 100 years, coming to an agreement with the strange town of Gravity Falls; the citizens stay out of the forest and leave you and the creatures inhabiting it alone, while you, the Guardian of the Woods, protect the town and stay, for the most part, to yourself. Things were peaceful for a while, until some scientist forces his way into your forest, and he isn't leaving.





	Walk on the Wild Side

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! It's been quite some time since I last tried to write something, but this idea has been in my head for a while and I've been convinced to write it. I hope you enjoy it, if you have any concerns, tips, or ideas for me feel free to do so! You can also find me at peculiarpastries.tumblr.com if you want to talk to me there.

Every footstep like thunder as they march through the forest; animals leapt to avoid their path, even the trees seem to move aside. Their long auburn mane billowing behind them. As they exit, the scent of fresh sawdust assaults their nose from the no longer empty clearing. Eyes scanning over the scene before them, finally landing on- 

“DAN!” They bark, Boyish Dan’s head shoots up in surprise, barely missing the beam above him. 

“Uh oh.” He breathes, looking over to the owner of the house in progress before making his way over to the fuming guest. 

“Hello ______, what brings you he-” Dan tries to be courteous, already knowing what is about to be said.

“You know full well why I’m here.” ______ cuts him off, words sharp, catching the attention of the new homeowner. “We have an agreement, unless you had forgotten.” 

“No, it’s just-” 

“Just what?” Their voice coming out at almost a growl at this point. So heavily invested, the young man on the side interjects.

“Hi, Stanford Pines here, call me Ford, nice to meet you. This is my house you seem to be arguing over, is there something I can help you with?” ______ eyes him suspiciously, noting his glasses and small physique, a snarl forming on their lips, words now a full growl. 

“You are the one in need of help,  _ pup _ .” The word, seemingly normal to Ford, dripping with venom. “Perhaps you were not warned upon your arrival. No one intrudes on the forest. Leave now while I still allow it.” And with that, they spin on their heel and return to the trees from whence they came. Ford releases a breath he wasn’t aware he held and turns to Dan. 

“What in the world was that about?” Ford asks as Dan’s eyes watching ______’s retreating form.

“That’s the one person in Gravity Falls you should never get on the bad side of.” He turns back to Ford, a slight fear in his expression. “And you just did.” Dan returns to his work, muttering about warnings on deaf ears. Ford looks back to the trees, curious about the person who had come and gone in a storm, over just as fast.

~~~One Year Later~~~

Ford looks around, house finished, finally moved in, desk already covered in notes and sketches, before exiting and heading for the forest. It sits on the edge of his property, the trees looming overhead, wind fluttering through the needles, casting shadows across the lawn as he walks ever closer. In the short time he had been here, he had already seen quite a substantial amount of anomalies, making quite sure to document them as he went. 

As he entered the forest, he had suddenly remembered what the stranger had said but didn’t think much on it, this was why he had moved to Gravity Falls to begin with! After all, there wasn’t much else this town offered a man of science, such as himself. He certainly wasn’t about to let one person stop him. Journal and pen in hand, he sets off, seeking the strange.

Not too far off, ______ stalks quietly, ready to pounce into wolf form in a heartbeat, watching the deer. The deer in question, normal to ______, had five eyes, two on each side and one in the middle, and a more silver coat. ______ was close enough now, just need to- “Incredible!” Ford’s voice startling not only ______ but the deer as well. ______ jumps up as the deer takes off. 

“Wait! I wasn’t finished sketching you!” Ford yells after it, as though it could understand him. ______ sighs, shoulders slumped with the loss of their prey, looking at Ford with disdain.  _ Great. This one _ . They think to themselves before turning to face him. 

“What do you think you are doing?” Ford seemed not to have noticed them before and jumps at their sudden outburst before fixing himself. 

“I’m a researcher, here to study the strange anomalies that seem to gather here in Gravity Falls. The forest teeming with all manner of beasts and critters, I thought this the best place to start.” He beams for a moment, his eyes furrow as he thinks. “What are you doing here?” Ford asks, a bit more innocently than ______ had, they simply grunt. 

“I live here, and I was hunting that deer before you ran it off.” Ford looked as though he had flinched under their gaze, his face a bit sad. 

“I’m very sorry, I had no idea you were even here, had I known-”

“You didn’t know because that’s how it’s meant to be. Had you had some experience you might have sensed a presence other than the deer. The pups in my pack had more instinct than you. You are a newborn, feeling around, no sense of direction yet. Learn.” They sigh, shaking their head as they turn from him. “Maybe if you learn you can survive long enough to get the message and leave.” ______ walks away, after a moment they hear his footsteps following.

“I have no intention of leaving.” And that was the end of the conversation, he continued to follow, taking notes along the way, but never saying a word. A smirk finds its way to ______’s mouth.  _ So, the pup  _ can  _ learn _ . Ford, noticing the lack of continued arguing, takes it as a sign he could continue his venture with ______, glad to have a guide to navigate him through the woods. While they walk together, Ford notices that ______ exists in harmony with the creatures of the forest, stopping to check on them once in a while as they continue on. For just a second, ______ paused to listen to a bird’s song, ear twitching in its direction, the ghost of a smile crossing their face. Ford considers making a page on them for a moment before silently laughing it off.

______ comes to a stop, looking off to a bush before walking toward it, bare feet taking care not to step on any debris. Ford watches, studying, as they reveal a family of platypus with plaid fur.

“Amazing!” He immediately moves forward, sketching them as fast as his fingers could move. ______ puts out an arm, keeping him at a distance. Ford tears his eyes away from the specimen, confused at the interruption.

“Be quiet, fool. Look closer.” Their voice barely above a whisper, they turn his attention back to the family. Upon closer inspection, he notices one of the plaidypus, as he has taken to calling them, is injured. ______ already helping to mend the injury while he sits, watching carefully now. Every movement, he sees something different in ______; the care, face soft as they tend to the frail creature, lips slightly parted as they work. A few moments go by before he realizes they’ve been finished and noticed him staring, he quickly glances away, face heated by an oncoming blush.

______ stands up, turning to walk on again but Ford stands quickly and stops them with a question.

“Why do you care for the creatures here?” His voice filled with curiosity, gesturing to the family of plaidypus. ______ turns back to him, an eyebrow arched.

“It is my duty to protect the forest and all its inhabitants.” Stated so casually, as though they were talking about the weather. “Why do you ask?”

“O-Oh, well, not many people would even notice that they were there, let alone fix them up like you did.” Ford admitted, not used to them asking him anything and caught off guard by their sudden inquiry.

“I am nothing like anyone you have ever met before.” They turn and begin walking again.  _ Well you’ve got that right _ , Ford thinks to himself, following them closely once again.

After quite some time had passed, Ford speaks up. “Do you think it would be possible for us to stop and take a break for a minute or so?” Though it was fall, he was starting to perspire beneath his trenchcoat. ______ simply shrugged in return and Ford sat on a nearby boulder.

“Do as you wish.” With that, they continued walking. Ford thought for a moment that they would leave without him, but when they began patrolling the area he felt a small smile creep onto his features. While he rests, Ford notices something out of the corner of his eye. Hoping not to alert it or ______, he silently begins his sketch.

______ had noticed the human had gone quiet, thankful for the continued peace, but it was a different quiet to the one from earlier. Strained almost. They looked back to the boulder they left him on to find he was no longer there. Panic begins to set in.  _ Damned pup, where did you go? _ They began searching for him, taking light steps to remain unnoticed, until they find him.

Stanford Pines is barely a foot away from a sleeping manticore.  ______ carefully steps over to him, tugs on his arm to signal their departure, but he pulls his arm back. He shakes his head as he leans over to get a better look at its mane, the creature almost 3 times the size of Ford.

“I’m not finished,” he whispers, “I’m not leaving until I’m done.” Ford never looking away from the manticore, eyes now trailing over the beast’s tail, stuck on the tip of it’s stinger. ______ was about to argue when they notice the manticore open its eyes. They grip Ford’s arm tight.

“This is not a debate.” They inform, and ______ drags him along, hoping to have enough of a head start to safely get away from it.

“But my research!” Ford yells hopelessly behind him, branches catching on his clothes every few steps as they duck and dodge through trees in their escape. ______ finally makes it to the clearing, positive of the manticore having long been lost, and lets go of Ford, helping him stand up right. Ford brushes himself off, taking note of the snags and tears in his coat, but relatively unharmed. 

“That was incredible!” He lets out a hearty laugh and turns to ______. “I wish I could’ve finished with the manticore, surprisingly historical references to it were fairly accurate, however I-”

“You could have died.” ______ blunt as they look him dead in the eyes. “Had I noticed any slower, you would have been devoured by that beast.” Ford’s face falls, eyes hardening.

“Look, I know you don’t like it, but I moved here to study and that’s what I plan on doing.” He pulls out his journal. Ford puffs his chest out in pride for his work, his eyes set on ______, waiting. They look him over for a moment, then finally a sigh escapes them, eyes going to the ground in defeat.

“Very well, seeing as I cannot stop you. However, I cannot allow you to die in my forest.” They look back up to him, face indifferent. Ford begins to smile at the comment.

“Does that mean you’ll be coming along with me again?” Voice almost hopeful, it was nice to have someone with him for these trips, especially when they insist on keeping him alive. And of course, purely for scientific research, closely observing ______ interacting with more creatures in the future might prove to be very useful.

“You can’t learn how to survive on your own, can you?” They turn away, walking back home. “You will need to wear darker clothing to blend in, I will have supplies for you.” After a few steps they stop and turn to look back at Ford for a moment. “Oh, and keep an eye out at the front of your den. I will leave some supplies out here now and then.” And with that, they leave him to his thoughts.

“Oh. Thank you!” He almost forgot to thank them, after all, they did save his life, and now they’re doing so much more for him.  _ You know _ , Ford thinks, smiling to himself as he heads for his home,  _ things in this town might not be that bad after all _ .


End file.
